novelsite Chapter 33 My Project
Chapter 33 My Project
At 8:00 AM, the armor installation officially began.
The original outer shell of the first section of the Longyuan locomotive had been stripped away, exposing the reinforced steel frame in the morning light, like the gradually emerging skeleton of a giant beast. The crane lifted the first armor plate, the hydraulic system humming steadily as it slowly moved the 81.5-kilogram plate to its designated position.
Wang Zhengyang stood on the mobile lifting platform. When the armor plate was still half a meter away from the vehicle body, he raised his right hand and made a subtle adjustment gesture—it looked like a professional hoisting commander, but in reality, a special affinity between him and the metal had already quietly begun to unfold.
Consciousness seeped into the armor plate like invisible threads, gently smoothing out the irregularities in the crystal lattice that he perceived. This wasn't manipulation, but rather communication and guidance, allowing the metal to find a more comfortable and stable alignment. The entire process was silent, with even temperature changes controlled within 0.3 degrees Celsius, much like the stress relaxation that metal undergoes under natural conditions.
But the stress monitor in Lin Luo'er's hand still detected the anomaly. She stared at the screen, her face scrunched up: "Huh? This fluctuation curve is so smooth...it's so smooth it doesn't seem like a natural process..."
"The thermal stress adjusts naturally," Wang Zhengyang explained immediately, his tone calm and composed. "The temperature is low in the early morning, and now the sunlight is starting to heat the surface of the board, creating a temperature gradient inside."
"Ah, right!" Lin Luo'er slapped her forehead, her expression suddenly enlightened. She quickly lowered her head and operated the tablet to recalculate the parameters. Wang Zhengyang looked at her focused profile, and the tension in his heart eased slightly. This girl was easy to communicate with but not easily fooled—easy to communicate with because she was willing to believe in scientific explanations, and not easily fooled because she could always find anomalies that needed explanation.
The armor plates landed smoothly, the pre-drilled holes perfectly aligned with the bolt holes on the vehicle frame. Chen Yi used calipers to measure the deviation—less than 0.1 millimeters—a remarkable precision in manual installation. He looked up at Wang Zhengyang on the lifting platform, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration: "Dr. Wang, this precision… how did you achieve that?"
"The result of combining pretreatment processes with precise calculations." Wang Zhengyang stepped off the platform, his voice as calm as stating common sense. "Record all parameters, and the subsequent twenty-four blocks will be executed according to this standard. This is one of the core technological advantages of our project."
Chen Yishang's team began welding. Wang Zhengyang's palm remained pressed against the edge of the armor plate, the affinity with the metal permeating his skin and guiding the welding heat to spread evenly, offsetting any residual stress. After cooling, the weld showed almost no deformation, and the joint was incredibly smooth.
The first panel was installed. As Wang Zhengyang stepped off the platform, he felt a slight fatigue from using his superpower. This deep connection with metal consumed his spirit, but the physical enhancement allowed him to recover much faster than ordinary people—in the few days since his rebirth, he could clearly feel a comprehensive improvement in his physical abilities: a 50-kilogram component that he used to need both hands to lift, he could now steadily hold with one hand; the fatigue he felt after working continuously for eight hours could now be completely recovered in four hours; his vision, hearing, and touch had all become more acute, and he could clearly distinguish the sounds of specific machines operating in noisy environments.
"Dr. Wang, are you tired?" Lin Luo'er leaned closer, holding an energy bar and electrolyte water. "You look a little pale, would you like to rest for a bit?"
She blinked, her tone filled with simple concern. Wang Zhengyang took the energy bar, his fingertips brushing against the back of her hand—warm, soft, with a few calluses.
"It's alright," he said. "We plan to install five units this morning. We'll discuss the installation of your vegetable growing platform and water purification system later."
In the fourth carriage, Lin Luoer began her project.
This was an independent task assigned to her by Wang Zhengyang: to design and build a hydroponic cultivation and life support experimental chamber. Chen Yishang and his apprentice were responsible for the basic structure construction, while she was responsible for the design and integration of the core technology system.
"The technical requirements for this part are relatively simple, but the functionality must be complete," Wang Zhengyang said when assigning the task. "You need to design a multi-layered vertical planting system that can stably produce vegetables in a closed environment. This is the key to long-term survival."
他给了林洛儿基本参数：车厢内部空间25米长、2.8米宽、2.6米高；可用电力功率30千瓦；目标产量每月至少2000公斤叶类蔬菜。
The rest was all done by Lin Luo'er herself.
This was both a challenge and an opportunity for her. As a botanist, she had never independently led such a large project before, but deep down, she longed to prove her worth—not just by assisting Wang Zhengyang, but by making a real contribution.
Lin Luoer spent two days redesigning her previous thesis proposal. She referenced the latest vertical farming technology from the Netherlands and combined it with NASA's closed-loop ecological cycle system used for the space station to design a solution suitable for the train environment.
"The entire system is divided into four subsystems." She explained her design plan to Wang Zhengyang, Chen Yishang, and Li Xiaowei at the project meeting, holding a thick stack of blueprints in her hand.
"First, the planting structure system." She unfolded the first diagram, showing a multi-layered shelf structure, "using a 304 stainless steel frame to build ten sets of vertical planting racks. Each set is 2.2 meters high, 1.8 meters wide, and 0.6 meters deep. Each layer is equipped with standardized planting troughs, which are filled with hydroponics substrate."
"Second, the lighting system." She switched to the blueprints. "Each planting trough is equipped with a full-spectrum adjustable LED plant growth light array. The lighting parameters are adjustable: the spectrum is adjustable from 3000K to 6500K, the light intensity is adjustable from 100 to 500 μmol/m²/s, and the light period is programmable. The total power is 6 kilowatts, with a 2-kilowatt redundancy."
"Third, the water and fertilizer recycling system." The third diagram shows a complex network of pipes, "emphasizing a closed-loop design. The nutrient solution is stored in a bottom tank and pumped to each planting trough. After the plants absorb it, excess liquid is filtered, disinfected, and replenished with nutrients through a recycling pipeline before being reused. The system integrates pH, EC, and level sensors for automatic regulation."
"Fourth, the environmental monitoring system." The last image shows the sensor layout: "Temperature and humidity sensors, CO2 concentration sensors, oxygen concentration sensors, and VOCs detection sensors are installed inside the carriage. Data is collected in real time and linked with the lighting and water/fertilizer systems to achieve optimized environmental control."
Wang Zhengyang carefully reviewed all the drawings and nodded: "The design concept is correct. However, a few details need to be adjusted."
He pointed to the piping diagram: "The water pumps need to be redundantly designed. If the main pump fails, the standby pump should be able to switch automatically. The filtration system should have two stages: pre-filtration and precision filtration, to prevent clogging."
He then pointed to the circuit diagram: "The LED driver power supplies should be distributed to avoid a single point of failure causing widespread lighting failure. The control circuit should be independent and not interfered with by other systems."
"Also," he paused, "you need to reserve expansion interfaces. In the future, we might add more sensors, or integrate air purification functions."
Lin Luo'er carefully noted down all the suggestions. She knew that Wang Zhengyang's requirements were always a step higher, but that was exactly what she needed—a standard that would allow her to grow quickly.
Once the design is finalized, construction begins.
Chen Yishang assigned Zhang Haitao and Liu Qiming to assist Lin Luoer. Zhang Haitao was responsible for welding the stainless steel frame, while Liu Qiming was responsible for the pre-installation of pipes and electrical circuits.
"Mr. Lin, this welding sequence..." Zhang Haitao looked at the complex structure on the drawing and hesitated. "If we follow the conventional sequence, the welding deformation might exceed the tolerance."
Lin Luo'er thought for a moment and said, "Then how about this: you first spot weld to fix the overall structure, and then weld symmetrically from the middle outwards. After each weld, wait for the temperature to drop before welding the next one. This will reduce the concentration of thermal stress."
Zhang Haitao looked at her in surprise—this didn't sound like something a botanist would say.
Lin Luo'er smiled and said, "I minored in Mechanics of Materials during my undergraduate studies."
During the construction process, her meticulousness impressed everyone. After each weld was completed, she would check the dimensions with a weld inspection ruler; before installing each pipe joint, she would check the internal cleanliness with an endoscope; after each cable was laid, she would test the continuity with a multimeter.
"Mr. Lin, your requirements are even stricter than Dr. Wang's," Liu Qiming said half-jokingly.
"Because this is my project," Lin Luo'er replied earnestly. "If I don't do it well, I'll be the one who loses face."